Play Time & Sunsets

Scooter fun out in our court, love those smiles

Play time with their best neighborhood buddies

Elise's chalk art Olaf

She also did this adorable Elsa chalk drawing

She posed by her art, but I zoomed in on that sweet smile!

Beautiful pink and purple sunset

So lovely, all four of us just sat back and watched the sky

Perfect end to a relaxing weekend

Happy Halloween 2014!

Halloween cuties ready for a night of fun!

Trick-or-Treat fun with their neighborhood friends

Pretty princess Elsa and sweet little Minnie Mouse

Elsa, Olaf and Minnie Mouse Jack-O-Lanterns

We had a very Happy Halloween 2014! It should come as no surprise that the girls choose their absolute favorite Disney characters to dress up as this Halloween; Princess Elsa and Minnie Mouse. They were so excited to wear their costumes to school on Halloween morning, then dress up in them once again for trick-or-treating later that evening. Elsa had already worn her Elsa costume once for her summer birthday party, so this was her second time rockin' the very pretty ice princess look. The best part is that her hair is so platinum blond she didn't even need a wig to complete the costume. Alina made the cutest little Minnie Mouse! She picked out the prettiest red Minnie Mouse dress and it fit her perfectly. Her sweet little personality complimented her costume choice even further. 

The girls had lots of fun trick-or-treating with their little neighborhood friends. This was actually the first Halloween that we stayed in our own neighborhood to trick-or-treat. After a few hours of trick-or-treat fun, their feet were tired and they were ready to head home with their bounty of candy. 2014 was certainly the year of Frozen costumes! I saw so many kids dressed as Elsa, Anna and Olaf this year that I lost count. In the spirit of Frozen & Disney, we carved Elsa, Olaf and Minnie Mouse jack-o-lanterns this year. The girls loved how they turned out. They are even more excited for our December Disneyland trip now and I'm sure will be rockin' those Disney costumes again very soon. Happy Halloween 2014!

The interior setting for a frightfully fun Halloween night

The girls made sure Mr. Skeleton got in on the fun

Trick-or-treat adventures around the neighborhood

She hung up her halo for the night!

Pre-Halloween Fun & Festivities 2014

Elise's Kindergarten class Halloween party

Adorable Minnie Mouse at her preschool Halloween parade

Halloween fun + Olaf & Minnie Mouse Jack-O-Lanterns

Mama & Nana had lots of fun at Alina's Halloween party

Mom's sharpie owl pumpkin

Halloween decorations and the girls festive artwork

Spookomotive Train Ride in Old Sacramento

Three adorable princesses ready for the train ride

The Spookomotive Train coming down the tracks

We enjoyed our view of Old Sacramento from the train

Audrey and Elise taking in the sights from the open air car

These sweet girls had a great time on the train ride

Elsa and Anna enjoyed a nice walk by the American River

Elise and Audrey sharing a hug goodbye after a fun day!

October Trip to Apple Hill

The four of us enjoying our day in Apple Hill

Fun with little friends at Bill's Apple Orchard

Little pumpkins

Beautiful views at Bill's Apple Orchard

Mom with her two little dolls; love them!

We visited Apple Hill this past weekend with some of our close friends and their kids. As we were driving up it quickly dawned on me that the last time we took a trip to Apple Hill was before Elise learned to walk, so this trip was long overdue! The weather was beautiful and sunny and the kids had a fantastic time frolicking around the flower fields, apple orchards and pumpkin patches. Our first stop was Bill's Apples Orchard. We were drawn in by the bright and beautiful yellow and orange flower fields; perfect for fall photos. The kids were excited to get a free freshly peeled apple when they arrived. They ran around exploring to their hearts content. We then made our way over to Apple Ridge Farms for a visit to the pumpkin patch, hay maze and petting zoo. The kids got to pick out pumpkins and feed the goats. The biggest highlight for the girls was getting their faces painted. We waited over a half hour in line for it, but they were thrilled to show off their freshly painted faces and pose for some cute fall photos. It was a fun little weekend adventure and we certainly plan to make Apple Hill a yearly excursion from here on out.

Exploring the pumpkin patch at Apple Ridge Farms

Sweet Alina posing with her Minnie Mouse face painting

Elise showing off her Halloween face paint plus missing tooth

Cuties having fun posing for photos

Love these two sweet pumpkins

Elise's First Visit From the Tooth Fairy

Elise's 1st visit from The Tooth Fairy - $10 sparkly dollars

Elise was very excited when she discovered her first loose tooth a few months ago. We expected it to fall out within a month, but despite all her wiggling it didn't quite happen that way. Instead, her adult tooth started growing in behind her baby tooth, so the dentist recommended that she get the baby tooth pulled since it was unlikely to fall out on its own. Elise did well at the dentist, there were definitely some tears, but overall she was very excited once her tooth was out and the dentist placed it in a special tiny treasure box for her to bring home.

Later that evening before bed, we read a story about Tooth Fairies and how they love to collect teeth to build their castles in the sky and how they always leave a very special gift behind as a thank you. Elise was so excited that she had a difficult time falling asleep that night. She carefully placed her tiny tooth in her special lost tooth pillow, and drifted off to dreamland. She was thrilled to wake up in the morning and find that a Tooth Fairy came to take her tooth and left a sparkly $10 dollar bill in its place along with a special thank you note. She now has a second loose tooth and is determined to wiggle it as much as can be, so the Tooth Fairy will come visit once again.

Alina's Preschool Field Trip to The Pumpkin Farm

Alina's preschool field trip to The Pumpkin Farm

Enjoying having Nana & Papa all to herself!

Daddy and Alina by the corn maze

Enjoying her field trip with her preschool classmates

Recreating the same photo three years later, so cute!

Last Friday was little Alina's annual preschool field trip to The Pumpkin Farm in Citrus Heights. This was her first school field trip without big sister Elise (who is now in Kindergarten). Alina had such a great time, and was spoiled a bit with both Mommy and Daddy AND Nana and Papa all there to share the day with her! She had been talking about her big pumpkin patch trip a month in advance and was so excited when the day finally arrived. I think her favorite part of the day was getting Nana and Papa all to herself! She also really enjoyed feeding the goats and pigs. She even braved the spooky haunted house and the best reward for a fun filled day was getting to pick out her own little pumpkin to take home. She made sure to pick out the littlest and cutest one that she could possibly find.

She loved feeding the goats and pigs

With Nana and Papa in the corn maze

Picking out her little pumpkin

All smiles in the haunted house

A Spooky Birthday Celebration for Mummy!

Fun at Mommy's Halloween theme birthday gathering

The girls beat me to the punch this year in deciding exactly what type of birthday party and cake I should have. Since we had just decorated for Halloween the weekend prior, and because they know just how much momma loves all things spooky and creepy, both girls declared that they wanted to throw me a Halloween birthday party. I was so proud of them, as they helped decorate the house and even helped hand design my birthday cake complete with pumpkins, skulls, bats, bugs and other creepy crawlers. We had the grandparents, aunts, uncle and little cousins over to celebrate with us as well, which I especially enjoyed. One of the biggest hits, besides the delicious pulled pork and red velvet birthday cake, was the zombie brain jell-o complete with creepy crawly bugs and worms. It was a very fun and festive evening!

Duck, Duck...Geese

Feeding the ducks and geese at Land Park

After our fun day at the zoo, we took the girls over to William Land Park to feed the ducks and geese. This is probably one of their most favorite things to do and they love the opportunity to get up close with the friendly geese (the ducks don't play that). We just sit back and watch the girls run, giggle, laugh and relish in endless entertainment. I swear that they could do this all day and be perfectly content. The ducks and geese, on the other hand, move on quick once the food runs out. 

The best part of all this, is that it brings me back to when I was a kid and my grandparents took my brother and I to the duck pond. It was undoubtedly the highlight of our day. Feeding the ducks and geese never got old back then. Then one day, when I was around 12, I decided it just wasn't exciting anymore, so I quickly crossed it off my activity list and never looked back, until now. Seeing how much the girls love this brings all those special memories and moments back. It will be bittersweet when the day comes that they no longer want to go feed the ducks and geese, but I will always have these memories and the pleasure of knowing that both the girls (and mom and dad) will get the chance to relive our youth once again through their children. Shout out to the next generation!

Getting up close with the friendly geese