Monday, May 26, 2014

Avery's Jasmine Performance

Avery loved doing the Snow White ballet session so much that we decided to sign up for the next session. The princess for the session was Jasmine from Aladdin.
 
Thrilled about her new outfit!
 
Her princess showcase was at the beginning of May.  She loved Jasmine just as much as Snow White!
 

Avery told me that she hoped that "everyone she loved would be watching her dance."  She had quite a few loved ones there to support her!  Here are some of the Zipps crew!
 
During the Snow White performance, Avery smiled a TON but didn't do many moves.  This time, she did more moves but forgot to smile much.  It's so hard multitasking!
 

Her nose must have been a little runny because we saw this move A LOT! :)
 
 I absolutely love seeing my child perform.  There is nothing sweeter.  She could literally stand up there and not move an inch, and I would be the most proud mom ever!


 




Avery's friend from school, Claire, is in her class.  They are such sweet friends!

 
 
We decided to go to Orange Leaf again to celebrate. 
They are just getting so big!
It was another great day with our girl!  Next princess up is Ariel!

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Easter

I absolutely love Easter.  It has recently become one of my favorite holidays of the year... possibly ranking higher than Christmas now due to less commitments, less stress, etc.  Avery totally got into the real meaning behind the holiday this year too. 
 
I bought some Resurrection eggs from Hobby Lobby and we discussed what each egg represented.  She totally understood it all, and I was amazed by what a not yet 4 year old could mentally grasp!  Last year, all she knew about Easter was that Jesus is Alive!  This year, she could literally tell me about each detail from Jesus dying on the cross, his crown of thorns, the soldiers casting lots to determine who got Jesus's clothes, his resurrection and empty tomb, etc.  I love that she will have this knowledge grow over the years.  It is such a blessing to see my girl get excited about the bible!
 
We went to church on Saturday night so that we could just relax and hang out on Sunday morning.  It was a great service, and we were told that Avery got to lead Praise & Worship.  She was so proud!  After church, we got some dinner and visited Aunt Laura at Tutti Frutti. 
 
The next morning, the Easter baskets were ready and waiting.
 
 
Avery was up before Chloe so she looked through her basket first. 

 
Wendy came by to give the girls some gifts too!
 

 
Chloe finally woke up and got to look through her first Easter basket.  I remember telling my extended family that I was pregnant last Easter.  I was more than 4 months pregnant but was still so anxious about telling people.  It's crazy to think about how different things are this year than last.  I just love having Chloe here to celebrate with! 
 




The grass was one of her favorite parts. Of course.

 
Next up was egg hunting!  Chloe monitored while Ave searched for a ton of eggs.
 





 
I loved hosting Easter last year so we decided to do it again this year.  It was a little more work with a baby in tow but it was definitely doable, and I think everyone had a lot of fun! 
 

The big girls ready to hunt for eggs!


It was a gorgeous day.  We were able to comfortably sit outside and enjoy the nice weather.  My parents brought a pinata again this year.  It is officially an Easter tradition and the girls totally get into it.
 


Love her determined face!



 
We ate dinner and dessert next.  My aunt made this amazing bunny cake which everyone loved. 
 

 
Sadly, this is where the pictures stop.  Chloe was sleeping during the egg hunt and outdoor activities.  When she woke up, I was either preparing dinner in the kitchen or we were eating.  After dinner, I changed her into something more comfy to play in. 
 
Later that night, after everyone had left, I was sitting in bed recovering from the busyness of the day.  It hit me that I never took a picture of Chloe in her Easter dress.  To say I felt horrible would be an understatement.  I.wanted.to.cry.  I vowed to myself that I would never take less pictures of Chloe since she is the 2nd child but it happened.  It happened! I planned on taking a picture of her in her dress the next day but it just never happened.  Mom fail.  Oh well, this is life.  I'm so sorry my Chloe girl.  I promise I'll take way more next year!!! 
 
It really was a special day spent with family.  I loved having everyone in our house making sweet memories...even if I did not capture them all!

Monday, May 12, 2014

Easter activites

I love the time before a holiday where you can do activities to get excited about the big day.  Before Easter, we did a few things around the house.  First, we made edible Peep play dough.  I saw the idea on pinterest and thought it would be fun.
 


I did exactly what it said to do but it ended up way too sticky.  It made a giant mess but Ave still had a blast.
 

I'm pretty sure I never saw a picture like this in the directions.


Avery's class had a party on the last Thursday before Easter.
 





 
After their egg hunt, we went back inside and the kids showed us what they had learned about Easter.  Mrs. Berryhill had really tried to explain and discuss Jesus's death and resurrection with the class.  We had been talking about it a lot at home too so I felt like Avery had a really good grasp about what Easter is all about.   I'm so thankful for her teachers this year for lots of reasons including this! 
 

We dyed eggs the day before Easter.  Avery picked out a sparkle kit this year so our eggs had a little glitter flair to them!


Chlo girl was observing it all very closely!

Since she couldn't make any herself, I made Chloe a sparkly C egg. 


 
After our eggs were made, we were ready for the big day to come!