Keeping Up with the Davis': November 2011

Monday, November 14, 2011

Girl Fun

I have failed to blog about a couple of the fun things I have gotten to do with my little princess lately, to include: a “Girls Day Out”, a “Slumber Party” and Disney on Ice! In an attempt to catch up on my blogging, here is what is likely to be a long post summarizing all of these fun activities!

Girls Day Out

The weekend of October 15^th, we went to Mt. Sterling for a long weekend with family. Kate idolizes Madi, more than I could possibly explain. The wonderful part is that Madi is absolutely wonderful with her, regardless of the 7 year difference. I thought it would be fun to take the girls for a day of shopping, lunch and pedicures. Madi had a soccer game that Saturday morning in Lexington, so it worked out perfectly. The girls and I loaded up and went to the soccer field for an hour or so and then hit the mall (per their request – I gave them the choice of Hamburg or the Mall). The girls shopped in every children’s clothing store at Fayette Mall until they found the perfect matching outfit. As soon as we walked out of the store with our big purchase, they were ready to change their clothes. So, we found the nearest restroom and did just that before continuing on with our day. As any girl would know, the outfits were not complete without a necklace and bracelet. Kate vividly remembered a set from one of the multiple stores we went to. Of course, we went back and bought the necklaces and bracelets (which clearly did not match, but who cares!). Next up was lunch, anywhere they wanted to go. I pushed for PF Changs, Kate chose McDonald’s and Madi chose Applebee’s. Since my vote didn’t count, we decided to go with McDonald’s or Applebee’s, whichever came first as we drove to Hamburg. Applebee’s it was! The girls finished off their matching lunches with an oreo milkshake and then we headed for the nail salon for some pedicures. The color of choice was bright pink (of course!) with a snowflake design on the big toe and polka dots on the others. Believe it or not, it looked pretty cute! It was an absolutely wonderful girl’s day out. I have to admit that I enjoyed myself just as much as they did!

SO Cold

Beautiful Girls!

Slumber Party

One random day, Kate decided she wanted to have a slumber party. Although she really wasn’t sure what a slumber party was, it seemed like it could be a lot of fun! We were sure we could give her the experience of a slumber party and thus the planning was underway. The festivities would commence on a Friday evening (in true Slumber Party fashion). As Kevin and I worked that Friday, Kate and Nanny prepared all day for the celebration that was about to occur. They created games, set up a music and dancing section and even cut up fruit for dessert….all the true necessitates for a slumber party. That night, we ordered pizza and the fun began. We ate on the floor in the party room (her room), played pin the tail on the donkey and did A LOT of singing and dancing. We all truly enjoyed ourselves – all of us! Even Monkey got in on the action – he did a little singing and dancing too! This simple, easy night turned out to be a blast. I don’t think I have laughed that much in a really long time. Having kids gives you the chance to be a kid again yourself. It was nice to completely forget about all of our daily worries and just act silly with the kiddos! It really is fun being a kid J

Daddy and his princess (Notice the many outfits
throughout the night)

Kate playing pin the tale on the donkey...finlly not cheating!

Monkey having fun

Dancing!

Disney on Ice

We were blessed that Kate made such great friends during her two years at Goddard. The parents of all the kids are enjoyable to be around too, which makes for some great play dates. Even though Kate doesn’t attend Goddard any longer, we still love getting together with our friends. So, “Disney on Ice: Mickey and Minnie’s Magical Adventure” came to Cincinnati and we all decided to take the kiddos! We have taken Kate to Disney on Ice before, and as we always do, we let her pick out one completely useless, expensive toy before the show starts. Kate chose binoculars. Really? I was convinced she didn’t even know what she was picking. Much to my surprise, she said to Kevin “Yes, Daddy, I know. You look in them and you can see really far.” I stand corrected. The binoculars it was. Luckily, it was the cheapest piece of crap toy they were selling (can you sense my bitterness?). Off we went to our seats, where we would meet up with all of her friends. She was thrilled to see them all, even her favorite teacher, Miss Natalie was there! I have to say; however, that Clare sitting next to her was the highlight of the day (well, maybe it was a close second to all the junk food she got to eat…popcorn, cotton candy…)! The skits presented in the show were from The Lion King, Lilo and Stitch, Peter Pan and The Little Mermaid – none of which Kate has ever seen (she doesn’t have the attention span to watch much TV). But, I don’t think the show really mattered. Being able to experience this with her friends made it perfect. I love taking her to these shows and am excited for when Hayes is old enough to enjoy them too!

Binoculars are backwards :)

Kate and Clare!

Thursday, November 3, 2011

A Davis Halloween

Monday night is when all the trick-or-treating festivities began here in Boone County; however, fall is Mommy’s favorite season (and Daddy’s!), so we did lots of activities leading up to the finale. Of course, we took our annual trip to the pumpkin patch, enjoying a great fall afternoon with our little family the weekend of October 8th. On Sunday, October 24^th, we also joined our friends; John, Ashley, Nolan and Emerson for a fun day at Hallzooween. This is a cute Halloween celebration at the Cincinnati Zoo. The kids get to wear costumes, watch elephants smash pumpkins and do a little trick-or-treating. I was so prepared with hats, gloves, snacks, beverages and of course, my camera. As per usual procedure, I pull the camera out and begin snapping shots as soon as we pull into the parking lot. I was so bummed to realize that I left the memory card in the computer L Oh well, no pictures of the event, but I can assure you that fun was had by all (well, the kiddos at least – it was a SUPER crowded day!)

Step 3 of Halloween festivities is, of course, pumpkin carving! This fun experience took place last Saturday, just a few days before Halloween. Peanut was really looking forward it! Last year she wasn’t interested in getting her hands dirty, so I was shocked when she dug right into the mess this year. Monkey enjoyed a little pumpkin exploring too! Kate requested one happy face and one scary face. After much scraping, carving, poking and pushing, we ended up with two of the cutest pumpkins on the street (if I don’t say so myself). Unfortunately, we did forgo toasting pumpkin seeds this year since I am the only one that will actually eat them.

Monday was the big day! Mommy picked out a Little Red Riding Hood costume for Kate and an astronaut for Hayes. Kate, as you already know, idolizes princesses, thus I was concerned she wouldn’t want to wear this adorable costume. No worries, I told her she was going to be “Little Red Riding Hood Princess” and she was all smiles! Luckily, the dress was a great “spinner” and she informed everyone when they asked if she was Little Red Riding Hood, that she was not, she was “Little Red Riding Hood Princess”, of course! Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a monkey costume that I loved, which would have obviously been most suitable for our little monkey. The back-up plan was the big bad wolf, to coordinate with big sister. Much to my dismay, I couldn’t find anything I loved enough to pay $50 for. So, I opted for comfy astronaut and the little guy didn’t seem to mind. After all, he is a heartbreaker no matter what costume he has on! So, after everyone was dressed and ready to begin, we headed out the door. Kate quickly met up with all of her neighborhood friends and they literally ran from house to house with smiles on their faces all the way. The experience of watching your kid trick or treat is almost as exciting as seeing their little face on Christmas morning. Although Hayes wasn’t sure what was going on, he enjoyed the stroller ride and kid-watching. He was taking it all in in preparation for next year!

By 7:00, Kate was getting tired (remember – my kiddos start bedtime routine at 7:15 EVERY night!), so we headed home. Kate really enjoys handing out treats to other kids, so we sat on the front porch, sorted through her treasures and handed out what remaining pretzel bags (I know, I am THAT house!) we had left on the porch for all the ghosts and goblins. After handing out pretzel bags for about 15 minutes, I notice Kate is giving the kids candy from her basket (even the good chocolate!). I asked her why she was giving the kids her candy; she responded “Not all kids get candy, Mommy, so I am sharing mine instead of giving them pretzels”. My heart melted. We have been talking about how not all kids are as blessed as she is and this is confirmation that she is starting to understand! I’m not sure what I did to deserve this sweet little girl (and little boy), but I thank God for both of them every night!