Toth Art Festival

Toth Elementary School had its annual Art Festival in mid March. The music teacher gets the kids ready to perform a few songs in the gym and the art teacher displays the children's artwork around the school. It's fun to see what the kids have been up to and Elise was proud to show off her work and school.

American Girl Tea

A few weeks ago Elise and I went to a mother-daughter American Girl tea at our church. I was surprised she wanted to go as we don't own an American Girl doll. Instead, she brought her frog, Smoochie. Smoochie was a given a little purse when she arrived by the ladies of the church. Obviously the purse was meant for a doll but Smoochie didn't seem to mind.

Our tickets to the tea were entered in a raffle for doll clothing. The grand prize was an American Doll. Guess who won?!? Elise!!!! She was the only girl at the tea without a doll... and now she has Grace!

It was such a nice event- and not only because Elise won a doll. The little sandwiches were yummy and the ladies of the church made it a special and memorable day.

Is it Spring Yet?

After spending all winter stuck in the house, we are ready for spring!! We are actually just content if it's not below zero!

The girls spent a lot of time playing dress up with our shoes and winter items... hats, gloves, scarves. I had to give up my Type A personality and allow for the coat closet to be a constant wreck otherwise I would have to reorganize it a few times a day.

Hadley also has taken up vacuuming. This was the exact age that Elise got into helping me clean the floors. Sometimes our little fashionista would don interesting outfits on our cleaning ventures... hence the tights, swimsuit and swim diaper getup down below.

Elise saved and saved all her money this winter to buy her Sophia the First amulet. It cost a whopping $10! That's a lot of tooth fairy money, allowance money and extra jobs around the house! It reminds me of something Mr. T would have worn except that it lights up. She's so proud of it.

Poor Hadley has a had a rough winter with illness. She had 3 bouts of double ear infections and was diagnosed with bronchiolitis 4 times. The last time the doctor gave her the official diagnosis of asthma and put her on preventitive breathing treatments until summer. We will have to start up again in the fall.  Jeff and I are praying that Hadley will outgrow this when she is older...

Another trip to the doctor

The first chance we had to walk to the bus stop, we did! The twins and I were sick of picking Elise up every afternoon in the car to avoid deathly cold windchills. We are happy to finally get to stretch our legs and walk the 2 blocks.

Hark! Is that the first puddle of spring?! No biggie! Just church

shoes! The will dry out by Sunday.

It's almost time for potty training. We've recently purchased 2 little Elmo potties (mostly because there was a fight to sit on the one we already had) and a dozen pair of underwear in preparation for our diaper farewell! The girls occasionally have interest in checking the toilet out and I'm more than happy to offer help. Maybe later this spring we can give it a go if everyone is ready....

Ceci using her serious bathroom face.
I sure won't miss diapers!

Toth Valentine's Dance

Elise- pink cheeks and pink stripes

Toth Elementary School's Valentine's dance seems like ages ago --mostly because I'm behind on this blog! But Elise's first school dance, accompanied by both Jeff and myself, was a blast.  It's exactly like what you would think an elementary school dance would be-- cookies and punch, dj music in a hot gym and a lot of awkward moments of finding friends and dancing. But overall, it was a special night for Elise. The highlight? Definitely the conga line. At times it was as long as a hundred kids snaking throughout the gym-- but then other times it had just 2 or 3 kids!

Strike!

Elise and I went bowling on MLK Day with our church. It was the first time she bowled and definitely not the last. Elise has some form (along with all the other little kids)! The parents joked that we were surprised that they didn't dent up the floor when they threw the ball down the lane. I was just surprised that it never stalled out in the middle!

The face of joy

Off to the Ball

For Elise's 6th birthday we gave her tickets to the BGSU softball team's annual ball. The Princess Ball is a fundraiser that they host annually for girls (and their escorts) kindergarten through 8th grade. We created a formal invitation for Elise to open. In addition to the invitation, I had gone to the store and purchased 6 dresses for her to chose from for her grand night. It was so sweet of her to say, 'But I don't have a dress for a ball' when she opened the invitation. Her eyes widened when we brought in her choices. We had wanted to make the night special.

In addition to a date with Daddy to the Princess Ball, our friends the Barnetts were going as well... Libby and Julia would be going with their Dad and Uncle Eric. We thought it only fitting that the Dads wear a top hat (courtesy of Amazon for a mere $4.99) for such a grand event.

And of course a corsage too! The corsage is still on Elise's chest of drawers. She tells me that she's saving it forever. Later she told me that she looked at her corsage all night long while she was dancing at the Ball.

...a picture with the entire gang before leaving for dinner.

The moms were invited to the Ball for a red carpet photo op. We arrived before the girls and their escorts so we could see their faces as they entered the building. Cinderella was there greeting the girls as they arrived.

There was also an opportunity to take a picture outside of Rapunzel's castle...

The best part was the red (actually pink!) carpet. Each princess was announced along with their escort as they made their way down the carpet for photos and cheers before entering the Ball.  It was a such sweet thing and really made me smile.

Libby and Uncle Eric

Julia and her Dad

My princess and her prince

And what happened next? Well, I assume it's a bit like Vegas. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. I know there was a bunch of dancing, snacking on cookies and raffling of prizes (which they didn't win). It was a special and magical night.

Dancing up a storm

My guess is that this will be an annual event for this group!

The Snowy Day

Unlike last year's cancelled snow days, this year we get to enjoy them because it's not forty below! So, after what felt like 45 minutes of getting snow gear on, we played outside for a bit to get some exercise and a chance for new surroundings.  Everyone enjoyed the snow! Hadley and Elise especially enjoyed being pulled around on the sled while Ceci wandered around happy as a clam.

Eventually the little ones got cold and we headed back inside to warm up. Hadley insisted that she wear her snow pants until naptime. I think we have a snow bunny on our hands...

Twins Turn Two!

Another cold day ushered in Cecilia and Hadley's 2nd birthday on January 14th. It's crazy to think how much has happened in their growth and development since their 1st birthday! We had a nice and quiet immediate family celebration complete with presents, pizza and another round of singing 'Happy Birthday'.

Hadley:

Length- 33.5" (30%)

23 lb. (25%)

Head Circumference- 18" (25%)

Cecilia:

Length- 34" (40%)

24 lb. 6 oz. (40%)

Head Circumference- 18.5" (50%)

The next day was the twins well check at the pediatrician. It's always nice to go to the doctor when they are nice and healthy. This time they weren't due for shots but were due for a little finger poke to check Hemoglobin and lead. Ironically the worst part was afterwards when they both refused a bandaid. Cecilia and Hadley deemed the bandaid 'cruel and unusual' punishment and opted to pass. However their first lollipops made the trip worth it! I felt that I could suffer through the sticky hands, faces and jackets so we could run out of the doctor's office with smiles on our faces.

Shoe Sheriff

Congratulations to Elise for becoming a Shoe Sheriff! The award is given to those children in her class who learn to tie their shoes... something of a novelty in today's world of Velcro and zippered boots! Her award states that she has proven she can tie her own shoes and now is 'authorized to tie any untied shoe' the in classroom. What a big job!! We are so proud of you Elise!

Frozen Party Cubed

We had a Frozen birthday celebration with family on January 10th for all three of our January birthday girls. A fitting theme for a day that was just 10 degrees! And also a fitting theme for sisters!

Prior to the party, Elise and I made coffee filter snowflakes (dying some of them blue) and I made cotton ball snow chains and pom poms. Of course this picture doesn't do our crafting any justice!! It was honestly quite the festive winter wonderland.

We served Melted Olafs, Trolls Tossed Salad, Coronation Pizza, Snowballs on a Stick, Melted Snow and Arandelle Punch. And of course, Elsa cupcakes. For favors,  we passed out Hershey Kisses (Kisses to Melt a Frozen Heart) and Dove chocolates (All You Need is Dove Love).

The Cousins: Walden, Ceci, Amelie, Hadley and Elise

After dinner, we sang Happy Birthday three times: First to Elise...

Then to Cecilia...

And then to Hadley...

It was worth the wait to eat the cupcakes. Even Walden agreed.

And of course we ended the night with a dance party. Music, dancing and sugar always go hand-in-hand.