The Circus is in Town

We had such an awesome time at the circus today. I think one of the best things about being a mom is being able to experience and witness first hand the amazement on your child's face when something is new and/or exciting. We prepped Addisan all week about our adventure today. In one of the many boxes of "treasures" (some refer to as junk) from my parents' basement, there was a circus program from when I was a child. We have been looking at it throughout the week for her to prepare for today's event. I knew the noise and the clowns might frighten her otherwise. All the hard work this week paid off:) Not one tear....just amazement for every act in the circus. We had such a wonderful afternoon with her. I am looking forward to taking Campbell with us next time:) Campbell enjoyed a lot of cuddle time with Popeye and Ju-Ju today instead of going with us.

Addisan arriving at the circus. Just look at her excitement!

Pre-circus---wide awake!

Daddy and Addisan walking to the circus. I just love her pigtails...it makes her look like a little girl and not a baby anymore.


Addisan and I inside the Coliseum waiting to see the pre-show.

Daddy and Addisan down on the floor at the Coliseum.

Pre-show festivities.

Addisan patiently waiting for the circus to start.


Addisan trying cotton candy for the first time. I am glad she loved it...it was $12!


Us digging into the cotton candy...YUM!

The elephants are my favorite part!


Just look at her excitement when watching the circus....she clapped with the entertainers, danced when she heard the music....simply put, she just loved it!


Within 5 minutes of leaving the parking lot...she was out for FOUR hours! She did so well today. I am so proud of her!

The Cat in the Hat is Back

Pottery Barn Kids at Short Pump had a Dr. Seuss celebration for his birthday. I took Addisan and it was packed! They started off with one of the employees reading some Dr. Seuss classics. She was not into it because of the crowd and the noise...so we went to play with the doll house instead. That was much more her speed. When the stories were done, we were the first ones to see the Cat in the Hat walk through the doors. The manager knew how patiently Addisan was waiting and how the crowds were so overwhelming for her and made sure she was the first one to shake his hand. I just thought that was so sweet. I was surprised that she was not freaked out by the costume. She is getting better and better with situations like this. Maybe one day soon...we can take on Disney World with all the characters!

The Cat and the Hat coming to greet us.

Addisan playing near the doll house.

Addisan outside by the fountain before we left.

Love is in the Air

I love this age....when I can do special projects with Addisan. This was our first real official project for a holiday. With Valentine's Day approaching, I thought it would be fun to bake with her. So I sent Miss Campbell over to Molly's house so Addisan could have my undivided attention for this project. I am trying my best to make sure both girls get one-on-one each day with me. So, during Addisan's one-on-one time, we baked strawberry cupcakes for her teachers at school and made foam picture frames in lei of Valentines cards for her classmates. Here are pictures of us having fun:)

Here are the picture frames she made for her friends. She truly understood that these were gifts and they were to be given away...and she was excited to do so:)

I got a Valentines basket with a cupcake tea towel for each of her teachers. Here are the cupcakes that were made with love to put in there.

Addisan putting sprinkles on the cupcakes.

She patiently waited for her cupcakes to cool and insisted on waiting for them in the kitchen.

She loved putting each of the cupcake wrappers in the pan and dishing out the cake batter. She so wanted to eat the batter and had trouble understanding why she couldn't...especially since her mother eats raw cookie dough:)

Addisan LOVED putting in all the ingredients and mixing the batter.

One of my good friends gave me the cutest little apron for Addisan. This was the first time she got to wear it...along with Daddy's chef hat. She referred to herself that day as "Chef Addie."

Put on your Overalls...We are going to Culpeper

On Sunday, I took both kids to Pop-Pop and Baby's house in Culpeper. Both kids did fabulous in the car, especially since this was their first road trip together and I was by myself. I am happy to report that I did not pick up any stray dogs this time on our way over to their house. This is how we ended up with Daizee...and so glad that we did! Here are some pictures from our fun day...

Here is Lucky. They got him my freshman year at JMU and he just turned 14.

Baby getting some snuggling in with Campbell.

Pop-Pop reading The Napping House to Addisan. This is one of my all time favorite children's books.

Addisan really got into it.

My dad brought up one of the rocking horses that he made. Addisan LOVED it!

Addisan made herself right at home once we got there.

Tea for Two....I Mean Tea for Five

For Valentine's Day, I wanted to do something special with Addisan. I am trying to put more emphasis on giving her experiences than material things. So we went to this quaint little tea house in Richmond called Huckleberries. It was fabulous! While I was getting ready this morning for our afternoon tea, Addisan was in the bathroom with me and wanted to do all the "girly" things I was doing. So today, she put on perfume and lip gloss for the first time. In addition, she insisted on wearing a necklace once she saw me wearing one. I thought to myself, this is just one of the many special moments to come with mother daughter bonding. To make the afternoon even more special, we invited our friends who live across the street to have tea with us. We had such a fun time with Pam, Patricia, and Mary Anne. The atmosphere was lovely, the company was great, and the food was delicious...and very reasonably priced I might add. Here are some pictures from our tea with the girls.

The queen and princess #1 of the Taylor Household.

The queen and the princesses of the DeRidder House.

Pam and I wearing our tiaras with pride.

All the girls looking glam!

Addisan diving into Savannah Cake.

The girls right after they received their tiaras.

Pipi taking a moment for a photo op.

Addisan using the packs of sugar as musical shakers.

Mary Anne trying to help Addsisan look like a rock star.

The three girls taking a break from shopping in the Garden Room of the tea house.

Addisan posing before leaving for the tea house.

I just love my little girl!