Purina Farms Day!

We made a date with our neighbors to hit up Purina Farms on the best first day of the warm weather! Actually, we were lucky it happened that way, no one really plans weather here in Missouri. :-) We loaded up the cars and headed out west, where neither myself or the girls had been before. It was a lot of fun to see all the animals and we also got treated to the first dog jumping show of the season! It was so warm outside, they used the pool! It was a lot of fun and thanks to the Hansels for making the reservations for us. I love that St. Louis has such great things for families to do all over the city and for FREE. I think we must live in the most affordable city for local attractions. Can't wait to go back in the fall! Thanks Steph, Lila, Natalie & Rachel!

Disney on Ice!

I took the girls to see their first "ice show" yesterday and I think they really enjoyed it. I got tickets for extremely cheap through our PTO website through Emaline's school and I'm so glad that I did, otherwise, I don't think that I would have done it! It was Disney on Ice-Mickey & Minnie's Magical Journey and we got to see four story lines: The Little Mermaid, Lilo & Stitch, The Lion King and Peter Pan and they loved it! We went to the Scott Trade Center with our coats in hand and grabbed some fun shaved ice in Flounder mugs, Flounder hats with cotton candy and popcorn and headed to our seats, which were awesome! The girls had no problem seeing all the action and it was wonderful to see them sing and dance along with the musical numbers. I love taking them to the theater or events of any kind like this, we have such a good time. Hopefully they will continue to love it!

Trip to Zoo!

My girlfriend and I decided to brave the chilly temps and take the kids to the zoo for the Delta Dental Mardi Gras! It was a lot of fun to see the kids get all worked up over the penguins and the games they had during the day. We picked up a map and got our "passport" stamped at different locations where the kiddos got to do a fun activity. The girls also got to make glittery masks and penguin beaks. It was a great day to get out of the house and spend some time with friends! Thanks to the Fedeles for meeting us!

Jennifer's Bridal Shower

We celebrated Jennifer's (my sister-in-law) bridal shower today! Josh and I are so excited for her to get married and call Russ a part of the Little Family. They are just so great for each other. Me and the girls brought some hot wings, courtesy of KFC via Josh. And placed them in a great spread put out by Audrey, Aunt Ginny, et al. They did such a great job. The girls had a lot of fun seeing a bunch of cousins they don't normally get to see. My sister and her little girl were invited too and joined in on the fun. We can't wait for the wedding!

Happy 2nd Birthday Piper Jane!

Yesterday, we celebrated Piper's second birthday! I cannot believe how fast two years have gone by so fast. It was just a moment ago that I was holding her in my arms and bringing her home from the hospital. Well...enough reminiscing. We don't have time for it! Piper decided that she wanted an Ariel themed party and has very much been involved with The Little Mermaid and everything that goes with her. I see some similarities: tint of red hair, spunky attitude, winning disposition, etc., etc. Piper definitely is my little firecracker!

We celebrated very low key at our house and had Ariel balloons, favors (for the kids) and cupcakes. The family came over and we had a great set up of sandwiches, fish (thanks Nana!) and salads/sides. She got some really great gifts from everyone: clothes, toys, Ariel pj's and cover ups, a new pink big wheel bike (thanks Aunt Angie & Uncle Chad)! She had such a good day, she passed out not long after everyone left. Thanks to all that came celebrate her special day with us!

Emaline's Valentine Friendship Party

Today was Emaline's Valentine's party at her school and I got to take part by bringing snack (apple slices and chocolate cupcakes!) and helping out with games and activities. It is always so much fun to see her and the other kids interacting with each other. The parties are always about an hour long and the kids get to make a craft, read a story and play a game before singing a song, or in this case exchanging valentines. She got to decorate a handled bag with stickers and markers to hold her valentines, then one of the other mothers read "How do Dinosaurs Say I Love You?" by Jane Yolen, which is such a cute book! Then she got to play pin the arrow on the heart and that was pretty funny watching all the kids "closing" their eyes (which they really were just squinting so they could see the heart). Finally everyone sat in a circle and each child stood up and put valentines into all the bags. It was pretty cute and the kids had a great time which is all that matters.

First Sledding EVER!

Thanks to a little nudging by my friend Robyn, my sister and I decided to take Emaline and Piper sledding at her Dad's house, which has a supremely awesome hill for sledding. After Pepere and Nana got Em a Penguin sled for Christmas, she was dying to try it out somewhere. So, we picked up Aunt Kayleigh and headed over to the Cooper homestead and suited up for some fun in the snow. I was so excited to see them both out there on the pretty white fluff, but when we got to the house, poor Piper was crashed out!! So, she slept through her first sledding expedition :-) Emaline, however, did not and was ready to conquer that hill! Thankfully, we got to borrow some much needed clothing and a couple sleds. Then afterward, Miss Jan fixed us up some killer hot chocolate! Mmmm, yummy! It was a great day--thanks Coopers!

Science Center Day!

My sister and I met up with a couple of my friends and their kids for a day out of the house. We decided to go to the Science Center because it had been quite some time since the kids had been there and it was an indoor activity. My friend Maggie got us hooked up with some free parking and tickets to the Discovery Room, which is an hour long play session with everything in the room. It is limited number of people and the doors are closed so its nice to let the kids roam and play with what ever they so choose. It gave us moms some time to talk and catch up as well. It was awesome! I highly recommend checking it out if you haven't done so and the tickets are really cheap if you become a member (which is nice if you live near it). Definitely worth it. They had giant cockroaches, dollhouses, fish aquarium, fossils, puzzles, games, AND a giant tipi! It was fantastic!

Trip to Powder Valley Conservation

My friend Sara introduced us to a fabulous gem to take the kids to during the winter months and they can learn a few things or two. Its Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center in Kirkwood near interstates 270 and 44. We went there with them on Friday with a couple other friends and let the kids run wild. Such a fun place to learn about animals and plants native to Missouri and its rivers. They have a neat tree you can go into, see fish and birds, a library, and interactive displays about habitats. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I think so did the girls! Mainly cause they could run around all crazy :-) Can't wait to go back and learn more.

Happy New Year 2011!

I think this picture says it all! We had an awesome time, thanks to the Haarmanns (and everyone else) for a wonderfully Happy New Year! Mmmmm....crab legs.