Snow Play

As soon as it snowed enough, Abi was right out the door to play.

Then the next day Maddy wanted to go out.

She didn't like it as much.

She never went past the patio and then wanted back in. Total time outside: about 2 minutes.

Random November and December

Random moments over the last couple of months...

Abi and my mom putting on a play for me and Maddy..

Grandma reading a story to Maddy

Maddy came to me wearing this tiara upside down on her face and told me she was Santa.

A picture of Minnie Mouse Maddy drew

Sticker Girls

A paper Abi wrote at school.

Maddy working with tanagrams in preschool

Wizard of oz drawing

Ever since reading The Wizard of Oz and then watching the movie, Maddy has been obsessed with it.

She was sitting at her desk singing a song about it that she made up while she was coloring. 

Afterward she brought it to me. All the characters on the yellow brick road....

Care Bear Play Mat

Maddy has been collecting the little mini Care Bears in the blind bags at stores for a few months.

After a few she would be getting for her birthday, she would have all 12 of the bears available right now.

I wanted to make her something to hold them in and play with.

There really wasn't anything out there like that so I invented my own.

Here it is.

I covered the outside with leftover Care Bear fabric from making her nightgown. 

So when it is closed it looks like this...

I made a pocket for each bear with their belly badge on it.

The finished product...

Maddy's 4th birthday party

Maddy wanted a Care Bear themed party this year.

Apparently Care Bear themed party supplies are really hard to find so I just got rainbow colored things.

I made this sign for the front door.

I was really into Care Bears when I was a kid as well and my mom made me three different Care Bear cakes for different birthday parties.

So I asked her if she wanted to make the one for Maddy.

It was so cute!

My mom, their little cousin Lizze, and Abi...

We played pin the belly badge on Harmony Bear.... Lizzie won a Care Bear coloring book.

Maddy...

Abi...

Lizzie...

Alex...

Strauss...

Karen, Doug's mom, Strauss, my mom, Lizzie...

opening her gifts...

I loved the look on her face as everybody started singing to her...

For favors I made rice krispie bears and had them in a basket with skittles.

A few weeks before her birthday Maddy brought me a piece of paper she had colored and cut out and said, "Mom, here is a pattern for you to make me Care Bear pajamas."

Maddy and her gifts:

From us- Care Bear nightgown and Care Bear playmat I made, Leap pad and cover and My Little Pony game. Baby Spike the dragon. and two mini care bears.

From my mom and dad: two Leap pad games and a mini care bear

From Doug's parents: a Care Bear quilt his mom made

From Doug's sister Melinda and her family: a stamp set and coloring book

From my sister Steph and her family: Wonderheart bear

From my brother Brent and his family: Snow Friends book and candy

from Abi: the book that she wrote and a mini care bear

We went to dinner at Taco Bell and this is what the sunset looked like on the way home... amazing!